This article was published on December 13, 2018 on CT News Junkie, written by Jack Kramer. Photo Source: CT News Junkie. HARTFORD, CT — Outgoing Office of Policy and Management Secretary Ben Barnes believes two powerful groups — hospitals and municipalities — are the biggest obstacles to Connecticut’s fiscal stability. Barnes made that statement during [...]
Can the cost of a hip replacement in Philadelphia really vary from $11,000 to $125,000? From white papers to published books, much has been written about how difficult it can be to find out what a hospital stay or outpatient procedure will cost. And as Anna Wilde Mathews observed in her article Lifting the Veil [...]
Over the past several months, the Trump administration has introduced several ideas intended to fight skyrocketing prescription drug prices – everything from forcing manufacturers to display prices in their television commercials to having Medicare base payments for costly drugs on average prices in other industrialized nations, which are much lower than in the U.S. While [...]
Diversified Group is happy to be collecting donations for Operation E.L.F. (Embracing Lonely Families) again this Christmas season. Operation E.L.F. is an organization that assists military families whose loved ones are overseas for the holidays. We will be taking donations through Monday, December 10th. Donations can include new, unwrapped toys and clothing. Please drop off [...]
This announcement from the Hartford Business Journal was published on December 3, 2018. Meet CT's healthiest workplaces Hartford Business Journal's first-ever Healthiest Employers Awards recognize organizations dedicated to employee health and safety in addition to their efforts to implement wellness programs. The awards program was done in partnership with the Healthiest Employers Group, which determined the [...]
Health and wellness are integral to employee performance, which helps explain why employers are investing more in their employee benefit offerings. In June of 2018, the average cost of benefits rose by 2.9%, while wage costs rose by 2.7%, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Also on the rise is paid [...]
Healthcare professionals that aren’t utilizing text communications are failing to meet their patients where they are. A 2018 survey found 11% of patients would rather communicate via text message, a number that is expected to grow as the Millennial population begins to outnumber Boomers. Text alerts and communications can be used for a variety of services, including preventative care such as periodic appointments and flu shots, [...]
A little skin in the game can make a big difference. At our recent “Let’s Take Control” themed Solutions Day, Adam Russo of the Phia Group shared his story that earned front page coverage in the Boston Globe. He told the audience about a tactic Diversified Group has helped many employer groups implement over the [...]
This article was published on November 5, 2018 on Employee Benefit News, written by Ann Marie O’Brien. This fall, millions of employees are deciding which health plan to select for 2019. They are reviewing and comparing a variety of factors when making this important decision, such as costs, benefits and care provider networks. Another component [...]
This article was published on November 6, 2018 on Employee Benefit News, written by Kathryn Mayer. HSA: A savings account without the saving? By and large, employees who are enrolled in a health savings account are using them as spending accounts rather than as tax-free long-term savings accounts, according to new research from Willis Towers [...]
